Duke  University  Libraries 

A  bill  to  be  en 
Conf  Pam  #250 


[SECRJT  .] 

[TlOUil  OF  RBP8fiSKlSTATi7B3,  No.  362.] 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESEXTlTr^B^,  J«mf«i^^^65«-^Order- 
ed  to  be  printed.  '  -    ' 

[By  Mr.  Russell. 


A.     BILL 

To  be  entitled  "An  Act  to  provide  means  to  carry  on  the  war." 

1  The   Congress  of  the   Confederate   State's  of  America  do  enact, 

2  That  for  each  of  the  years  1865  and  1866,  there  shall  be  levied 

3  and  collected  the  following  taxes  instead  of  the  taxes  heretefore 

4  imposed  by  law  oh  the  same  subjects : 

5  I.  On  all  property  heretofore  subject   to  a  tax  of  five  per 

6  centum  on  tlie  value  in  the  year  18G0,  a  tax  of 

7  cents  on  every  liuadrcd  ..inllnrs  oC  the  sniii ;  value. 

8  11.  On    all    }>ro])CrL3     ncioLoiore  subject  to  a  tax  of  ten  jogr 

9  centum  on  the  value  in  tlic  year  loGO,  a  tax  of  one  per  centum 

10  on  the  same  value. 

1 1  III.  On  tlio  amount  of  all  al  1  gold  and  silver  coin  and  bullion, 

12  gold  dust,  moneys  held  abroad  or  bills  of  exchange  drawn  there- 

13  for  and  promissory  notes,  rights,  credits  and  securities  payable  in 

14  foreign  countries,  and  on  the  amount  of  all  solvent  credits  and 

15  of  all  bank  bills  and  other  paper  issued   as  currency,   (except 

16  notes  not  bearing  interest, issued  by  this  government)  and  not 

17  fmployed  in  a  registered    business,  the   income   from   which  is 


2 

18  taxed,  and  on  tl'C  Vfiluo  of  all  other  property  which  was  suhject 

19  to  taxation  in  the  year  l8C4  and  not  herein  otherwise  taxed  or 

20  exempted,  a  tax  of  per  centum,  and  such  value 

21  shall  be  assessed  in- the  revenue  bills  hereinafter  described  ;  but 

22  cotton  and  tobacco  shall  not  be  subject  to  taxation  in  the  year 

23  1865,  if  transferred  to  the  government,  under   this  Act,  before 

24  the  dry  of 

25  IV.  On  incomes,  business,  trades  and  occupations  now  sub- 

26  ject  to  taxation,  the  same  tax  now  imposed  by  law;  but  where 

27  a  tax  is  levied  on  income  derived  from  property,  real,  personal 

28  or  mixed  of  any  description,  on  the  amount  or  value  of  which 

29  an  ad  valorem  tax  is  laid,  the  ad  valorem  tax  shall  not  be  deduc- 

30  ted  from  the  income  tax. 

81  V.  The  foregoing  shall  be  the  rates  of  taxation  hereby  im- 

32  posed,  if  the  taxes  be  paid  in  specie  or  revenue  bills;  but  if  the 

33  same  ba  paid  in  treasury  notes  of  the  present  issue,  the  rates  of 

34  taxation  hereby  imposed  shall  be  twenty  times  as  great  as  those 

35  hereinbefore  specified ;  Provided,  however,  That  on  incomes  re- 

36  ceived  during   the  year  1865  in  such  Treasury  notes  in  pursu- 

37  ance  of  a  contract  heretofore  made,  or  a  law  requiring  the  same 

38  to  be  so  received,  and  on  all  other  incomes   received   by  any 

39  person    residing    East    of   the  Mississippi   river  before  the 

40  day  of  next,  or  by  any  person 

41  residing  West  of  that  river  before  the  day  of 


42  next,  the  taxes  shall  be  at  the  same  rates  if  paid  in 

43  such  Treasury  notes,  as  if  paid  in  specie  or  revenue  bills  ;  and 

44  business  taxes  accruing  before  those  dates,  respectively  on  the 

45  respective  sides  of  said  river,  may  be  paid  at  the  same  rates  in 

46  such  Treasury  notes  as  if  paid  in  specie  or  revenue  bills;  and  if 

47  a  business  tax  in  the  year  1865  bo  assessed  on  a  rental,  payable 

48  in  Treasury  notes  according  to  a  contract  heretofore  made,  and    " 

49  continuing  in  force,  such  tax,  while  the  rental  shall  be  so  paid, 

50  may  bo  discharged  by  payment  in  such  Treasury  notes  at  the 

51  same  rate  as  if  paid  in  specie  or  revenue  bills. 

52  VI.  Taxes  in  kind  at  double  the  rates  now  imposed  by  law ; 

53  that  is* to  say,  one-fifth   instead  of  one  tenth  of  the  respective 

54  subjects  thereof,  is  hereby  levied  for  each  year. 

55  VII.    All   the  taxes  hereby  levied  ahall  be  subject  to  all  the 

56  exemptions  and  other  provisions  of  law  now  in  force  relating  to 

57  the  levy,  assessment  and  collection  of  taxes,  so  far  as  the  same 

58  are  applicable  and  not  inconsistent  with  this  Act :  and  from  the 
69  tax  tax  on  property  employed  in  agriculture, (includinjj^  the  entire 

60  plantation  from  which  the  tax  in  kind  is  derived,and  all  the  slaves 

61  kept  on  it  except  those  exclusively  employed  in  other  services 

62  than  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,)  shall  be  deducted  the  value  of 

63  the  tax  in  kind  derived  therefrom  for  the  year  as  assessed  in  re- 

64  venue  bills  in  the  manner  required  hy  law  and  delivered  to  the 

65  government  during  the  year  or  afterwords,  including  the  bacon 


i 

6G  whick  shall  be  deliverable  after  the  jfirst  day  of  March  next  af- 

67  ter  the  year  for  which  it  is  assessed ;  and  tke  collection  of  the 

68  tax  on  such  property  shall  be  suspended  after  assessment  under 

69  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  until  the  value  of 

70  the  tax  in  kind  to  be  deducted  shall  be  ascertained,  and,  when 

71  so  ascertained,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Post  Quartermaster 

72  to  certify,  and  of  the  District    Collector  to  deduct  the  value  of 

73  such  tax  in  kind. 

1  Sec.  2.  Whenever  the  tax  in  kind  of  any  subject  shall  not  ex- 

2  ceed  dollars,  the  whole  thereof,  and  in   all 

3  and  in  all  other  cases  the  half  of  the  tax  in  kind  of  any  subjet 

4  may,  at  the  option  of  the  tax  payer,  be  commuted  and  discharged 

5  by  paying,  in  revenue  bills  or  specie,  four-fifths  of  the  apprais- 

6  ed   value  thereof    to    the   proper  tax  collector  of  the  district, 

7  within  days  after  such  value  shall  have  been  ascer- 

8  tained  according  to  law;  and  such  value  shall  bo  estimated  and 

9  ascertained  in  revenue  bills,  or    such    commutation    may   be 

10  made  in  like  manner,  by  paying  twenty  dollars  of  such  Treasu- 

1 1  ury  notes  for  every  one  dollar  of  revenue  bills  required  for  the 

12  commutation. 

1  Sec.  3.     All  cotton  and  tobacco  in  the  Confederacy  shall  be 

2  purchased,  borrowed  or  impressed  for  the  government  in  the 

3  manner  provided  by  lav7  for  Hio  impressment  of  other  property, 

4  on  the  following  terms  :  to  bo  returned  in  kind  of  equal  qnan- 


5 

5  tity  and  quality,  at  the  same  place,  witliin  two  years  after  the 

6  end  of  the  present  war,  with  an  addition   to  the  quantity,  at 

7  the  rate  of  per  centum  per  annum,  the  owner 

8  being  furnished  with  an  assignable  certificate  to  that  effect,  or, 

9  at  the  option  of  the  owner,  to  be  paid  for,  at  its  specie  value,  in 

10  bonds  of  the  government,  at  par  ;  which  bonds  may  be  issued 

11  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  shall  be  redeemable  five 

12  years  after  the  end  of  the  present  war,  and  shall  bear  interest 

13  at  the  rate  of  six  per  centum  per  annum,  payable  semi  annually. 

1  Sec.  4.  Whenever  a  sufficient  amount  of  revenue  bills  to  pay 

2  for  one  or  more  bales  of  cotton  shall  be  presented  for  redemp- 

3  tion,  the  same  shall  be  redeemed  in  cotton  at  the  rate  of  fifty 

4  cents  per  pound  ;  and  such  Treasury  notes,  when  so  presented, 

5  shall,   in   like   manner,  be  redeemed  in  cotton  £t  twenty  times 

6  that  price  per  pound.    The  cotton  so  transferred  from  the  gov- 

7  ernment  ia  redemption  of  bills  or  notes,  shall  not  afterwards  be 

8  liable  to  impressment  under  authority  of  this  government,  and 

9  the  same  may  be  exported  to  neutral  countries  without  restric- 

10  tion,  except  the  payment  of  lawful  export  duties.     It  shall  be 

11  marked,  designated  or  identified,  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Trea- 

12  *  sury  shall  prescribe. 

1  ^EC.  5.  Bills  and  notes  to  be  redeemed  as  aforesaid  shall  be 

2  dedosited  in  the  Treasury  or  such  depositories  as  the  Secretary 

3  of  the  Treasury  shall  have  designated  for  that  purpose,  and  a 

4  certificate  shall  be  given  which  shall  entitle   the   depositor  or 


6 

5  his  assignee,  under  such  regulations  as  the  said  Secretary  shall 

6  preecribe,  to  the  amount  of  cotton  equivalent  to  the  deposit,  up- 

7  on  presenting  the  certificate  to  any  person  having  custody  of 

8  cotton  of  the  government  for  that  purpose- 

1  Sec.  6.      The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  under  the  direction 

2  of  the  President,  may  appoint  a  principal  agent  in  each  State, 
2  and  such  other  agents  not  liable  to  military  service  in  the  field, 

4  as  he  shall  deem  necessary  to  carry  the  three  preceding  sec- 

5  tions  into  effect,  under  his  instructions.    They  shall  give  such 

6  bonds  as  he  shall  require,    and  shall  be  compensated  by  such 

7  commissions  or  allowances  as  he  shall  prescribe,  in  proportion 

8  to  the  amounts  of  cotton  and  tobacco  obtained  and  reduced  into 

9  the  secure  possession  of  the  government,  and  the  amounts  of 
lO  cotton  transferred  in  redemption,  through  their  agency. 

1  Sec.  7.  The  President  shall  cause  to  be  issued,  in  such  form 

2  and  of  such  denominations  and  with  such  authentication  as  he 

3  prescribe,  bills,  to  shall  be  called  ''revenue  bills,"  purporting  that 

4  the  Confederate  States  owe  to  the  bearer  the  sums  of  money 

5  therein  respectively  specified,  and  the  same  may  be  issued  and 

6  re-issucd  in  payment  of  appropriations  other  than  those  mention- 

7  ed  in  the  next  section ;  but  the  amount   of  their  outstandino; 
7  shall  not  at  any  time  exceed  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 

1  Sec  8.  All  appropriations  heretofore  or  hereafter  made  to 

2  pay  any  liabilities  of  the  government,  incurred  before  the 

3  day  of  1865,  East  of  the  Mississippi  river, 

4  or  before  the  day  of  1865, 


7 

5  West  of  the  Mississippi  river,  or  accrding  on   contracts  liereto- 

6  fore  made,  (unless  a  diffierent  made  of  payment  has  been  spe- 

7  cially  provided  for  by  lawor  contract,)  shall  be  paid  in  Treasury 

8  notes,  such  as  are  authorised  to  be  issued  by  the  "Act  to  reduce 

9  the  currency  and  to  authorize  a  new  issue  of  notes  and  bonds," 

10  approved  February  17,  1864;  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 

11  ury  is  hereby  authorized , to  issue,  under  the  direction  of  the 

12  President,  a  sufficient  amount  of  such  Treasury  notes  to  pay  all 

13  such  appropriations,  any  thing  in  any  former  law  to  the  contra- 

14  ry  notwithstanding.      Except  for  that   purpose,  no  Treasury 

15  notes  received  into  the  Treasury  under  this  Act,  shall  be  issued 

16  again  ;  and  such  of  them  as  are  not  necessary  for  that  purpose 

17  shall  be  cancelled. 

1  Sec.  9.  All  property  impressed  under  the  authority  of  this 

2  government  after  the  day  of 

3  1865,   (except  cotton  and  tobacco   impressed  under  this  Act,) 

4  shall  be  valued  andpaid  for  in  revenue  bills,  at  the  usual  market 

5  prices  of  such  property  ia  revenue  bills,  at  the  time  and  place 

6  of  impressment. 


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